Sport Specific Information

When and where did you begin this sport?

He took up the sport at age seven at the Club de Gardanne in France.

Why this sport?

"I tried football, horse riding, judo, karate, but none of those sports stuck with me. [With fencing] I was taken by the ambience. I finished second-last in my first competition but I got a medal for participating. Six months later, I won the departmental championship. I've always used foil and it works well for me. The foil is more subtle than epee and faster than sabre. I was lucky because it's the discipline I prefer."

Club / Team

Escrime Pays d'Aix: Aix-en-Provence, FRA

Name of coach

Emeric Clos [national], FRA

Training Regime

He trains for up to 25 hours a week.

Handedness

Left

General Interest

Nicknames

Petit Homme [Little Man]. (NOC, 21 Jul 2012)

Injuries

A left shoulder injury he sustained at the end of 2009 stopped him training until January 2010. (lequipe.fr, 06 Nov 2010)

Famous relatives

His wife Ines Boubakri has represented Tunisia in fencing. She is the first African female fencer to win an Olympic medal. She won bronze in the individual foil event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She also won gold in individual foil at the 2015 African Championships in Cairo, Egypt. (SportsDeskOnline, 26 Jun 2015; pianetascherma.com, 02 Aug 2014; letelegramme.fr, 13 Aug 2016)

Other information

OLYMPIC COUPLEHe is married to Tunisian fencer Ines Boubakri, who is also an Olympic medallist. "She is very important to me, sometimes she can find the right words that coaches cannot. It is important that she talks to me. She helps me on tactics but mainly she gives me psychological support." (FIE Fencing's YouTube channel, 13 Mar 2017; rfi.fr, 13 Aug 2016)

Sporting philosophy / motto

"Have fun with the sport and consider it a game." (NOC Media Guide, 2016)

Ambitions

To win a medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (NOC Media Guide, 2016)

Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs

He has a lucky ring that his mother gave him. At the 2006 World Championships in Turin, Italy, he lost the ring on the day of competition. He refused to compete until he found it and came close to missing his event. He went on to become team world champion. (vsd.fr, 12 Aug 2008)